Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/793182
Notlongago,Igotare- quest from EC reader Kelly for a make-it-yourself fur- niture pol- ish recipe. She said that she uses a lot of furniture polish and it's getting expensive. My first thought was, of course, to suggest that she time her purchases for when furniture polish goes on sale and then stock up. I recently purchased a can of Pledge aerosol furni- ture polish for $1.50, down from $5.49. I was harbor- ing a $1 coupon, and when Pledge went on sale for two cans for $7, I used my coupon to buy one can (my store doubles coupons) and enjoyed the great bargain. Kelly didn't mention en- vironmental concerns in her desire to make her own furniture polish, but after doing some research on the matter, it may be a factor all of us should con- sider, and perhaps even more than cost. I was amazed to see what goes into a spray can of furni- ture polish. Many contain solvents, petroleum dis- tillates, synthetic ingredi- ents like silicone and arti- ficial fragrances to mask the chemical smell. All of us can create a healthier home and at the same time save a lot of money by replacing chem- ical furniture polish with this formula. MAKE-IT-YOURSELF FURNITURE POLISH —1 cup olive oil — cup lemon juice —1 teaspoon white vin- egar Mix until blended well. You can do this in a blender or food processor to get the ingredients to emulsify, just as you would for salad dressing. To use, simply apply a small amount of the mix- ture on a soft cloth and buff the furniture to a shine. Use sparingly. A lit- tle goes a long way. It is best to start with a small amount on your cloth and add more as necessary. If you leave too much oil on the furniture, it will act as a dust magnet. If you can find jojoba oil, you may prefer to use it instead of olive oil (look in a health food store). Jo- joba is a natural liquid wax that has no scent and will not become rancid. And if you don't have lemon juice handy, use white distilled vinegar instead. Do not make large batches of this furniture polish because unlike the canned stuff, these natural ingredients will lose their effectiveness over time. It is best to make a small batch in the amount you will need at the time, or no more than you will use in a month. Store in a very clean con- tainer like a squeeze bot- tle or spray bottle. Label the container, and keep it out of reach of children. It is always a good idea to first test something new in an inconspicuous place. Give yourself a little time to get used to this new polish. If you've been using aero- sol commercial polishes, you may find this method to be a bit more tedious. But give it a chance. Try it for a month. I did, and I am confident that the cost savings combined with the breathable air as you clean will convince you to make a permanent change. Wouldyouliketosend a tip to Mary? You can email her at mary@ everydaycheapskate. com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, 12340 Seal Beach Blvd., Ste. B-416, Seal Beach, CA 90740. EVERYDAYCHEAPSKATE Make-it-yourself furniture polish is cheaper, better, healthier Mary Hunt It is always a good idea to first test something new in an inconspicuous place. Give yourself a little time to get used to this new polish. If you've been using aerosol commercial polishes, you may find this method to be a bit more tedious. But give it a chance. Try it for a month. I did, and I am confident that the cost savings combined with the breathable air as you clean will convince you to make a permanent change. Submitted For the past few years, in early February, the Red Bluff High School gymnasium has turned pink. On a night when play- ers, fans and even the ref- erees don pink to help show support and raise aware- ness for the fight against breast cancer, the commu- nity raises funds with the girls basketball game as the vehicle. The annual Pink Out game was started in 2011 by Jessica Macdonald, a sophomore at Red Bluff High School. Having per- sonally seen the impact of breast cancer, she was in- spired to create a way to bring her school together to increase awareness and support the community. The result was the Red Bluff High School girls basketball Pink Out event. This year, the Pink Out game was held on Feb. 2 against Chico High School and raised more than $1,000. Members of the Pink Out committee and Lady Spartans players will present Mercy Founda- tion North with all funds raised. Since the first event was held, nearly $12,000 has been donated to Mercy Foundation North to sup- port the free breast can- cer screening program at the St. Elizabeth Imaging Center. "Mercy Foundation North greatly appreciates the support of the Red Bluff Lady Spartans and the support of our commu- nity," said the foundation's Development Officer Kris- ten Gray. "These funds go directly back into Tehama County to cover the cost of breast cancer screen- ings for women who oth- erwise could not afford to have one." RED BLUFF HIGH CONTRIBUTED Pictured, from le , are Kennady Sandow, Ella Dotson, Allyson Drury and Kristen Gray. Pink Out raises thousands to combat breast cancer DN FILE PHOTO The student section decked out in pink for the annual Pink Out game Feb. 2. "Mercy Foundation North greatly appreciates the support of the Red Bluff Lady Spartans and the support of our community. These funds go directly back into Tehama County to cover the cost of breast cancer screenings for women who otherwise could not afford to have one." — Kristen Gray, foundation development officer Submitted Writers Forum mem- ber Jennifer Levens has written both historical and contemporary novels and will be the featured presenter at the March 11 Writers Forum meet- ing, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at All Saints Episco- pal Church, 2150 Benton Drive in Redding. Levens will speak about research as it ap- plies to historical nov- els for accuracy, and to contemporary novels for dates and accuracy of methodology. Levens explains how to avoid the problem of read- ers who write to the au- thor about the slightest inaccuracies in a novel, or even worse, readers who put the book down unfinished and move on to another author. She will explain how to avoid this by using meticulous research to identify reli- able primary and second- ary sources. Levens is a Master of Education who holds a degree in English Liter- ature. She is an actress, director, musician, writer and teacher who has been writing most of her life, and thinks making people laugh is the highest form of therapy. Writers Forum meets monthly on the sec- ond Saturday. The pub- lic is welcome to get ac- quainted with two free visits before joining. An- nual membership dues are $25. For further de- tails, visit www.redding- writersforum.com or write to writersforumpro- gramchair@gmail.com. WRITERS FORUM Re se ar ch in g yo ur n ov el t o be to pi c of m ee ti ng NEVERGIVEUP UNTIL THEY BUCKLE UP. VISIT SAFERCAR.GOV/ KIDSBUCKLEUP VISIT SAFERCAR.GOV/ KIDSBUCKLEUP 741Main Street,Suite#2 Red Bluff, CA 96080 1-800-287-2187 (530) 527-2187 OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK www.redbluffcoldwellbanker.com See All Tehama County Listings at If you are Considering Selling Your Home, Now is the Time! PropertyisSelling and Listings are in Short Supply! CallTehamaCountiesLargest Real Estate Office and let our Knowledgeable and Professional Realtors assist you Today! Round Up Saloon Round Up Saloon 610 Washington St. (530) 527-9901 Come Visit The Downtown Red Bluff REWARD $3000+ missing2ATV's, Generators 25-6volt batteries, 10-Solar panels, 27 ton troy log splitter, trailer and much more CallRay 408-561-0757 or Sheriff 530-529-7900 FiletMignon & Lobster Veteran'sHall Tickets: $50 per person Proceeds benefit CHP Explorers Dinner AUCTION SunriseRotary's GoldExchange 413WalnutSt.•530528-8000 Tickets available at the Inflatable Hot Tub for two, Patio Table 4 Mt. Shasta Ski Lift Tickets, Diamond Pendant Seefacebookredbluffsunriserotary for full list of Auction Items Surf &Turf Surf & Turf Saturday, March 11 th • Doors open at 5:30 LIFESTYLES » redbluffdailynews.com Wednesday, March 1, 2017 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS B3